A Seasonal Celebration: Exploring Hidden Gem Holiday Pictures
One thing that irks concerning many present-day seasonal films is their insistent meta-commentary – the ostentatious decorations, the predictable soundtrack choices, and the stilted dialogue about the real spirit of the season. Perhaps because the category was not yet solidified into formula, pictures from the 1940s often approach Yuletide from far more imaginative and not as obsessive perspectives.
The Affair on Fifth Avenue
One cherished find from sifting through 1940s seasonal films is It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a 1947 semi-romantic tale with a clever concept: a happy-go-lucky drifter winters in a vacant luxurious mansion each year. That season, he welcomes fellow down-on-their-luck individuals to live with him, among them a veteran and a young woman who turns out to be the daughter of the home's affluent proprietor. Director Roy Del Ruth gives the film with a found-family warmth that numerous modern Christmas movies have to labor to attain. This story expertly walks the line between a thoughtful commentary on housing and a whimsical city fairytale.
Godfathers in Tokyo
Satoshi Kon's 2003 feature Tokyo Godfathers is a engaging, sad, and thoughtful interpretation on the Christmas tale. Drawing from a classic Hollywood picture, it follows a group of displaced people – an drinker, a trans character, and a young throwaway – who come across an left-behind infant on the night before Christmas. Their quest to reunite the child's parents triggers a chain of hijinks involving crime lords, newcomers, and seemingly fateful coincidences. The film embraces the magic of fate frequently found in holiday tales, delivering it with a stylish visual style that steers clear of saccharine sentiment.
The John Doe Story
Although Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life deservedly earns plenty of praise, his other picture Meet John Doe is a notable holiday tale in its own right. Starring Gary Cooper as a handsome drifter and Barbara Stanwyck as a plucky reporter, the story kicks off with a fictional missive from a man threatening to leap from a rooftop on Christmas Eve in frustration. The public's reaction compels the reporter to hire a man to play the mythical "John Doe," who subsequently becomes a national symbol for neighborliness. The film functions as both an uplifting tale and a brutal critique of wealthy businessmen trying to exploit popular goodwill for political ends.
Silent Partner
While holiday horror pictures are now plentiful, the holiday crime caper remains a strangely underpopulated subgenre. This makes the 1978 feature The Silent Partner a fresh discovery. Featuring a wonderfully menacing Christopher Plummer as a bank-robbing Santa Claus and Elliott Gould as a clever bank clerk, the story sets two types of amoral oddballs against each other in a stylish and twisty narrative. Largely overlooked upon its original debut, it is worthy of a fresh look for those who like their Christmas stories with a dark atmosphere.
Christmas Almost
For those who like their Christmas get-togethers messy, Almost Christmas is a blast. With a stellar ensemble that features Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, and JB Smoove, the film explores the strain of a family forced to share five days under one house during the festive period. Hidden dramas bubble to the forefront, resulting in moments of extreme farce, including a dinner where a weapon is pulled out. Of course, the film reaches a satisfying resolution, giving all the fun of a seasonal disaster without any of the personal aftermath.
The Film Go
Doug Liman's 1999 feature Go is a Christmas-themed tale that functions as a youthful interpretation on woven plots. While some of its humor may feel dated upon a modern viewing, the film nonetheless offers plenty elements to savor. These range from a composed performance from Sarah Polley to a captivating performance by Timothy Olyphant as a dangerous pusher who appropriately sports a Santa hat. It represents a specific kind of late-90s film attitude set against a festive setting.
Morgan's Creek Miracle
The satirist's wartime film The Miracle of Morgan's Creek rejects traditional Christmas cheer in return for bawdy humor. The film follows Betty Hutton's Trudy Kockenlocker, who discovers she is pregnant after a drunken night but cannot remember the man responsible. Much of the fun arises from her situation and the attempts of Eddie Bracken's simping Norval Jones to help her. Although not obviously a holiday movie at the start, the narrative winds up on the holiday, making clear that Sturges has crafted a playful interpretation of the birth narrative, packed with his characteristic witty edge.
The Film Better Off Dead
This 1985 adolescent film with John Cusack, Better Off Dead, is a prime artifact of its era. Cusack's